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EPIC RIFFS | World's Most Iconic Riff - (I played it wrong)
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- Published on Sep 9, 2021 veröffentlicht
- Epic Riff time! The man who invented the Genre Surf Rock: Dick Dale. We analyse one of his most iconic riffs and learn why it's so hard to get it down correctly!
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Hi, my name is Paul Davids! I am a guitar player, teacher, producer, and overall music enthusiast from the Netherlands! I try to inspire people from all over the world with my videos, here on Clip-Share.
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![[EPIC RIFFS] The Riff That Defined Rock 'n Roll](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zg6t5LPjc6k/mqdefault.jpg)
Dick Dale was a amazing man, a good guitarist, pilot, artist, studied martial arts and was a adventurer. People might not know but Dick played a lot of instruments besides guitar. Dick also helped Leo Fender in developing the guitar amplifier which we use today, in other words, Leo used Dick to experiment with his amplifiers.
Remember it was Leo Fender who developed the crossover.
I had a opportunity a few years ago to interview Dick Dale on my radio show. It was a amazing interview, it lasted about two hours. I learned a lot about him in that interview, he did more than just play guitar.
Rest in peace Dick Dale
Like a real Buckaroo Banzaï ?
Got to meet him and his son at the NAMM show many years ago and it was honestly a sight to see them playing together. I had a short chance to speak with him, but it always stuck with me. Told me if you have good amp and good guitar, you have no need for pedals.
And what a link to the interview come on man with the teaser
@L M 😳🤣🤣🤣🤣
@Brian Wilson if you _did_ it would've been hilarious. Spinal Tappy. Did Leo's amps go to 12? 🤡
Paul: Maybe you can do the claps for me?
Me: Don't tempt me I'm trying to learn!!
Paul: * slides*
Me: * claps like a cavemen*
*CLAPCLAP CLAP CLAPCLAP CLAP*
🤣 - 🤣 - 🤣 - 🤣
I'm utterly useless, score negative on a 1-10 skill ranking. Didn't even sit my beer down, but that I could do.
But damn he's fun to follow, passion & talent seem to have collided with great results.
I snorted and said nah, busy typing something as I watch this... and then proceeded to do so anyways cuz it just needed to be done =)
Clapping like Herman Munster over here!!
We all did.
The Double Harmonic Major Scale which is the base of this iconic riff is quite prevalent in Indian Classical Music where it is known as the "Bhairavi Raag." It is one such scale which forms the basis of so many iconic Indian songs.
These amazing contributions to the entirety of music from different culture really shows and enriches the musical experience for the entire population of the world.
It is not Bhairavi but Bhairav, a completely different raga. The scale of Bhairavi has a flat 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th while the scale of Bhairav only has a flattened 2nd and 6th, namely double harmonic.
I remember seeing a comment saying "it's a cover of a cover of a cover", and I ended up looking into it to find the original song. It's a song with more history behind it than the listener would expect, and be unaware of otherwise. Though I don't play, this is an incredible lesson all on its own. Thank you
@Kamikaze seeing it was written by a Greek from a city that was multicultural(Greek-Turkish) back in the day, the lyrics being about a Christian mans love for a Muslim girl, the name of the song meaning "Egyptian" in Turkish, then adopted to Western Music and becoming the most iconic riff ever, i love the trivia behind the song.
@Kamikaze Mısırlou means "Egyptian, from Egypt" in Turkish. It's very hard to tell which one is the original about these songs because, through the Ottoman Empire era, a lot of traditional Turkish/Greek songs appeared in different regions at the same time with slightly different variations. Thessaloniki, Aleppo, Constantinople, and Egypt versions for example. Perhaps it traveled via traders. Check out this one if you're into digging
clip-share.net/video/QUwQY_76KGM/video.html
@Vova Z clip-share.net/video/LW6qGy3RtwY/video.html I don't know how reliable the source of this is or if it's even the original song, but it's a start
Link?
It's actually a cover of a cover of a cover.
Man, your positivity is great! Love how you break down a really mean oriental riff.
The original Greek song (it was composed in then1920s n Athens and then covered in the 30s by many Greek bouzouki players in New York) is actually in some mean folk Greek (Lebanese or other middle eastern tbh) scales which are sometimes played on fretless instruments with flourishes outside the common scale spacings!
In any case your break down of this classic made me move the packed up guitar down from the closet’s top!
For that I thank you!
Cheers!
@Gear Watcher So Wikipedia is your source of reference? A very "serious" source.. then If that is the case why dont you consult the Greek version of wikipedia that the information is TOTALLY different? You see, wikipedia is not a serious source and the fact that two pages for the SAME thing has different information, proves it. What about if a middle eastern guy goes and edit the page and write "The song has origins in XXX country", will that make it a fact?. Funny thing is that as a Greek, I never said that the song wasnt influenced from other songs but it was Egyptian songs not middle eastern. Its not a contest, after all the info that you propose is correct, says about Greek composers, so If my problem was proving that Greeks wrote the song I wouldnt mind if they where Greeks in Turkey (like my Grandfather was) or in any other country, but I am saying the opposite thing, that the song was most probably was influenced (not written, influenced) byt EGYPTIAN artists, not Greeks. Finally, Let me know as a Greek a little more about Greek songs than a foreign guy in wikipedia.
@Stathis s. You weave a nice narrative but provide very little to substantiate it. Wikipedia says this: "The folk song has origins in the Eastern Mediterranean region of the Ottoman Empire, but the original author of the song is not known. There is evidence that the folk song was known to Arabic musicians, Greek rebetiko musicians and Jewish klezmer musicians by the 1920s."
Given how much shit stir any touchy-feely Ottoman zone nationalism subject usually causes, if there was any compelling evidence for your argument it would be cemented there. Apparently the best they could settle on is "author unknown, song known to various Ottoman musicians before the 20s". You can also look at the Wiki talk page and sources to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Lyrics schmirics, the ONLY important aspect of this song is melody. Or better put, lack of it. It's a simple up/down a VERY POPULAR SCALE. To suggest that this simple up/down of a makam, in the tradition where students learn scales by doing EXACTLY THAT is somehow authored in 1920s is ludicrous.
@Gear Watcher Recording songs wasnt a thing that people cared about in Greece in the early 1900's until the late 20's - early 30's,simply because music like this was played in places with "bad" reputation and people playing this kind of music (together with rembetika, zeimbekika etc) were acting almost like gangsta rappers in the early 1990s performing mostly in close groups with no easy access to outsider.
The confusion that people have is between "Tetos Dimetriadis" a Greek from Instanbul that was an immigrant to the USA and "Patrinos" a Greek from Smyrna that after the disaster of Smyrna and the massacre of Greek civilians by the Turks back in 1922, was relocated to Athens (like most Greeks in Smyrna that survived from the massacre, like my own grandfather).
Some people think that since Dimetriadis recorded it in the USA, he is the one that composed it. Thats not the case. Patrinos, performed it in 1927 a few years before Dimetriadis recorded it and it is thought that he wrote the lyrics, but even he is not considered the composer by most although he has the credits!
Usually the composer to songs like this before 1930, was unknown, mostly because the composition was done from all the members of a band and the leader was taking the credits (just like Patrinos did back then).
There is a rumor that they could be influenced up to a point by an older Egyptian instrumental from the early 1900's
but cant be confirmed
So this song, as we know it, was composed in Athens Greece and was called "Misirlou". It was about a forbidden love with an Egyptian girl.
Word Misirlou comes from the Turkish word Mısırlı meaning "Egyptian" that is actually an arabic word (Misir) and that is why the song has a few other arabic words in the lyrics. It was a slow song and on the first version it is said that because Patrinos had a heavy accent, he was singing "Mousourlou".
It is also said that Patrinos recorded it in Athens a year before the song was recorded in the USA but cant be confirmed.
In 1941 another Greek immigrant in the USA (Nick Roumbanis) recorded an oriental version without lyrics
(faster with a fusion of oriental and some Jazzy elements). That version is the one that became popular in the middle east, is the version that actually influenced Dick Dale and is the version that confused people thinking that its probably a traditional middle eastern song.
Many versions were recorded after that (mostly by Greek artists and some Arab artists) until Dick Dale recorded the instrumental version
we all know today. I think in Greece, the most popular version back then (again a slow version similar to the 1927 version) was the one from Sofia Vembo in 1947 (a very famous female singer).
History was way to complicated back then all over Europe and the middle East so it is difficult to trace it properly..
Lyrics by Patrinos (most probably) roughly translated by me (with the same strange syntax that the Greek lyrics have):
My Misirlou, your sweet look
Α flame has ignited in my heart.
Ah, ya habibi, ah, ya leleli, ah,
Your two lips are dripping honey, ah.
Ah, Misirlou, magical, elven beauty.
I will go crazy, I do not suffer anymore.
Ah, I will steal you from Arabia.
My crazy black-eyed Misirlou,
My life changes with a kiss.
Ah, ya habibi, one little kiss, ah
From your sweet little mouth, ah.
I highly doubt this version of the origin story.
The song is known throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, and the only Greek community this song is seriously attributed to is the Greek community in Istanbul, not Athens. And it's Turkish Greek artists that made the first recording in the USA in 1920s.
However, the simplicity of the melody - ie the fact that it's a simple up and down the Hicazkar scale, a very common makam throughout the middle East, and that every middle Eastern ex-Ottoman country claims it to be their own folk song (apart from oddly the Balkan ones, which also doesn't work too well towards the claim of Greece origin), both suggest it's probably an old folk standard from Ottoman times.
As someone from the eastern mediterrenean, every note in this mode (it is an eastern mode) comes as naturally and is as expected as I-IV-V chords come to a rocker...
@A C Phrygian dominant is very similar but little different, DHM has major 7th, whether Phrygian dominant has minor 7th.
Not many people knew that Dick Dale was of Lebanese descent. Last name was Mansour.
I'm not from the eastern Mediterranean but eastern mode has always sounded so awesome to me. I use eastern mode a lot
It's a very ordinary and common scale, Hijazkiar scale. It's one of the first you'll learn in Greece or the middle east. Also called Phrygian dominant in the ancient world.
Cool
I was lucky enough to see Dick Dale live a few years ago before his passing. It was in a little bar in Salt Lake City called Liquid Joe’s, which has a surf tiki bar decor, and there were probably only fifty people there, and half of them just came for the bar, and not the show, but it was amazing, and being a guitar player, and loving Surf Rock, especially Miserlou, I was able to talk with Dick for about an hour, and he told me a lot of great stories, and where and when he learned to play the way he did. It was incredible. He is still the king of surf guitar. R.I.P. my friend!
@Jimmy1982*Playlists Born Richard Monsour. His most Middle Eastern sounding songs IMO are a version of Miserlou called Miserlou Twist, The Wedge, and, especially, The Victor. Complete with finger cymbals, even.
Pump It By The Black Eyed Peas also uses that Riff.
I also saw him about 2 years before his passing, I believe, in a nondescript bar in Columbus, Ohio. He still had his chops, and surprised me - a longtime fan - with a trumpet set complete with Louis Armstrong impersonation. Maximum cool factor for sure.
What an honor .. wow as the stars fade the talent matures an their music many times has even more depth an feel galore.
Every guitarist has something special in his playing. Sometimes it's bad, the cI have been playing for over 35 years. And only in the last three years have I realized that the guitar becomes a part of our body. With which we think when we play something that is very difficult to repeat.hord doesn't sound right. And sometimes we play something that we can never repeat.If someone else is playing in those moments, I'm not sure what happens to our fingers.Big greetings and may it be played more and more. And positive people like this show us still useful fore ns guitars on youtube clips.
A fabulous lesson for drummers too.
To be able to appreciate the complex technical rhythmic and melodic elements of that riff.
And what a groove it truly is.
Dick Dale is one of my all time favourites, listened his records hundreds of times. He had a true gift for guitar playing but he mastered other instruments too and was a riot on stage right through the end. What a legend.
I’m no guitarist, but it’s always a pleasure watching someone who is passionate about what they do. Great video.
It’s so cool how you can see his influence in metal. Dick Dale was an impressive guitarist
Its amazing how the musical influence of one culture affected the surf culture across the other side of the world just as the Fender strat was becoming influential in its own right. These collisions make music amazing !
Especially when the origin has absolutely nothing to do with surfing
Butterfly effect 😀
This type of scales and hammer-on/pull-offs are very common in almost every Bouzouki player in Greece. But to hear it on a strat with the spring reverb cranked up to 11 and in the 50's? That's very unique if you ask me.
Yeah, it's a Hitzazkiar or Hijazkiar scale, which is one of the first scales you learn playing bouzouki. It's very ordinary, not terribly interesting, but still cool to see it in the popular culture. That's the middle-eastern name for it, but in ancient Greece they called it a Phrygian scale (dominant). Pythagoras wrote a lot on music theory, and I believe he used this term for it.
There is no such thing as very unique. It’s either unique or it isn’t.
Nobody asked though
Vewy intewesting
You can add Armenian music to that too.
This guy is amazing. His gentle tone is unrivaled among Creators. Love how musical you are even when moving through video sections. Delightful!
Congratulations you have been selected among my shortlisted winners 🎁💐
Telegram the above username so we can sort this out..
Paul is such a great and kind teacher. He creates these videos with such passion and I am always drawn to these videos. One of the best guitar channels ever. Thank you so much Paul for making these videos for us.
I used the Double Harmonic Minor scale frequently. I mix middle eastern music and instruments with hard rock and at times industrial music. Every guitarist needs to have this scale in their arsenal. It creates a wonderful dissonance waiting to be resolved. With the right beat and playing with in this scale can bring a very erotic sound that evokes an almost trance like state to the audience.
This is my absolute favorite guitar piece. I was born the same year that this piece was made popular around the world. Thank you for teaching the right way to play it. I figured this out years ago, trying to learn it. It opened up an entire world of music I never really knew about. Thank you.
How can anyone down vote this video… this guys skills are unparalleled… thank you for the detailed explanation, and I too played it incorrectly like many others on my 12 string Fender acoustic…
@Jason Forno lol, there's nothing more inevitable than every Clip-Share guitar video receiving comments from 'shredders' about how easy everything is to play. This video being a classic example full of "any thrash metal guitarist could play this at twice the speed" type comments.
@Daniel Sanchez tell me you drone on and on about Eddie Van Halen without droning on and on about Eddie Van Halen…
This guy is mediocre at best.
Great video Paul!
The song was inspired by Middle Eastern melodies, however the known "original" version was recorded by Greek Rebetiko musicians.
You may not recognise the Greek letters, but the version that you inserted between 2:07 and 2:14 was recorded by Tetos Dimitriadis.
By the way, these musicians didn't think in scales, but in pentachords and tetrachords instead, which when combined constitute dromoi ("roads").
As a result, this song is written in Hijazkar (or Hitzazkar) dromos, which is made by connecting two Hijaz (or Hitzaz) tetrachords.
Interestingly, if you think that the Double Harmonic major is the Western equivalent of the Hijazkar dromos, then the Phrygian Dominant (or Phrygian Major) is the Western equivalent of the Hijaz dromos. The equivalencies of two unrelated Western scales/modes, belong in fact in the same family, which is even betrayed by their names (Hijazkar & Hijaz).
Cheerios
@Aviv Abecassis bruh. Of course its not the same today. Greek and Arab music evolved differently today for hundreds of years. It doesn't change the fact that the origins of modern Arab music is literally Greek, and that doesn't mean that it must be 100% the same as modern Greek Music. Like i said they evolved differently for hundreds of years.
Without Greek Music you wouldn't have Arab music as you know it. It would sound completely different.
Your logic is the same as "indo european languages are way too different and dont originate from the same source they just have some similarities"
@Random Stuff what are you talking about? They are so far from eachother that you just proved to me that discussion is for nothing.
I hear this music all my life, play the guitar, bouzouki and the oud. There are a lot of similarities but to say Greece is the source? That's just showing you only read or heard pop culture and doesn't have a clue and real understanding of this matter. So again, familiarise yourself with the actual traditional and history and the sound of the music before you talk.
Have a nice day
@Aviv Abecassis literally current Arab music is evolved from Greek music though. Obviously ancient Greek music was influenced by others, Mesopotamia, Iranians etc and vice versa.
Arab music and even Islamic chanting is evolved from Greek Eastern Roman/Byzantine music and chants
@Random Stuff you are right technically. But couldn't be more wrong. You are talking about thousands of years of evolution and contacts and influences so naturally the music isn't the same but I can say on the other hand that Greek music wasn't the same. That's doesn't mean anything is based on anything. And again, untill today there's such a big difference between all these kinds of music that to say something is based on specific country that's ignorance. Familiarise yourself with all the genres and basic history first and than talk.
Super awesome! It's amazing how sometimes things like this are really ingrained in your memory without you even knowing it. Thanks for all the good stuff again, Paul.
This was such an awesome video, Paul! Absolutely love the break down, and the respect you show for Mr. Dale. The second some of the original recordings started play, I think we all knew the demonitization sharks were circling, so it makes you going ahead with it all the sweeter. Thanks again.
Such an excellent analysis of a masterfully written song. Thank you so much for sharing Dick's genius and passion with us through your own passion, makes it a double treat.
I was at one of his last concerts before he passed away, while his age definitely affected him as it would anyone at 81. He could still play Misirlou perfectly, absolute legend.
I don’t understand how people could click dislike on a video like this which is just phenomenally done
I absolutely love how musicians can be so enthusiastic about one riff and how you can tell it changed them and excites them.. awesome to see so much passion
Well that's all what's left to excite them to break down and the sound. Everything else is boring since it's mastered.
Congratulations, Paul Davids, this is one of the very best videos I have seen explaining the music and the songwriter/performer. Thank you and please continue the excellent work!
Thank you. This set me off to playing Miserlou after Miserlou, going back as far as 1927, for about 3 days. When I obsess on a song that's how it goes.
Your explanation and demonstrations were great. Again, thank you.
I've always loved this song and that riff is undeniably epic and iconic. But I never realized just how much depth and nuance it has. Thanks for a whole new level of admiration.
Beautiful old Oriental Mediterranean melody, great lesson and amazing dissection as always Paul! There is a piano version of this melody from 1947. "Misirlou" by Jan August an American pianist.
Beautifully done. I always knew there was more to this riff than meets the ear at first (or even five hundredth) listen. I think I now appreciate it even more. Nice job. And thank you to Dick Dale of course.
The late Dick Dale was truly ahead of his time. I love this tune!
@videogame OST both versions are sick af
@Andreas At Sea - Music Journeys a versão original é um lixo ... Dick Dale reinventou a música
Definitely one of the most unsung guitar heroes. He was a badass. Some distortion, humbuckers, and palm muting and it’s heavy metal 🤣 🤘
One of my all time favorites and you made me realize that I never really dug deeper on Dick Dale's background - I had no idea about his middle eastern roots, but it all makes so much sense. Thank you!
Feeling so lucky to find this video. You made things a lot simple. Really want the full Tutorial of this riff.
I saw him play this not long before he passed. He was so great.
One thing i would add...The way he had the strings reversed really allowed him to dig in on the high e string part. It also seemed to effect the low e string part. I know it is the same notes, but i think the reversed position of the strings allowed him to emphasize a little differently. Such a fun guy to watch playing the strings upside down. Mesmerizing.
Great Video Paul! Love seeing how the layers get built up and the epic solo at the end was magic :)
YOU TALK ABOUT THE RHYTHMIC PATTERNS!!! I'VE BEEN POINTING THIS OUT TO LITERALLY EVERYBODY!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOU RIGHT NOW! So many people do a "breakdown" of this riff and lessons and everything, but they miss that subtle rhythm! I felt like I was going crazy cause nobody else was actually pointing it out.
"Maybe you can clap along..."
Now, is my time to shine
I messed up the clapping ... imma need a tabs sheet. Damn.
i picked up my guitar to learn this
I'm a working professional clapper so I clapped with only 1 hand. I used my other hand for snapping ¼ notes. I'm still just an aspiring amateur snapper. Someday.... 😏
The lights in my house kept turning off and on because I own "The Clapper" but it sounded amazing!
You heard it here first; Paul's giving the entire Internet...the clap?!? 🙄😳😖
I have no rythmn.
One of the crazy things about the original is the little delays between notes at full alternate picking speed.
Yours sounded great, but a lot smoother - the original having those fractionally delayed notes made it sound more staccato in some areas.
You are a truly great teacher! Just love the combination of music theory, practical playing techniques, sound and music history. Brilliant!
Congratulations you have been selected among my shortlisted winners 🎁💐
Telegram the above username so we can sort this out..
Such an iconic style that it has made its mark in the music history for generations.
This is literally one of the greatest videos I have ever seen on Clip-Share. Absolutely blew my mind. As a beginner I definatley want you as my teacher, courses her I come!
Double harmonic major has always been my favorite scale. It's such a rich and intriguing sound.
Got to see him play on his 70th birthday. He played for 3.5 hours straight and blew the roof off the place. Still the best show I've ever seen... R.I.P. Legend 🙏
Misirlou has inspired me in my guitar playing since I started as a teenager. My band mates get annoyed at how often I bust out this riff during practice. 😂 Great to see a video about it, even learned a few things!
Your playing, production and overall quality is stunning as usual Paul
Thank You Peter Davids! It's worth mentioning that Dick Dale was adamant that he would always make at least some small changes to every song, every single time that he played them. He claimed to have never played any song exactly the same way twice. Bonus: Mr. Dale also played the trumpet on his iconic recordings.
One of the best songs of all time! A very nice breakdown, thank you, Paul. You're a legend!
Excellent job explaining the correct way to play this. I’ve been to countless metal shows over the last 25 years but hands down Dick Dale was THE loudest live show I’ve ever witnessed. R.I.P. to an absolute legend and the main reason I picked up guitar in the first place.
Thank you for inspiring many guitarists, including me, Paul!
What a great break down of this iconic version of this song. I’ve been playing it wrong this whole time as well. You have a great ear. I subscribed
Thanks for going into the beautiful ornaments of the riff. I recently got into oud and maqam music, and it is both interesting and beautiful musical tradition. Very fun to explore, being from the west and mostly naïve to it
Excellent format ! I'd love to see more analysis of riffs like that :)
I really like the way how you explain all those songs, and your voice gives me chills lmao. Love this channel.
Thank your for that deconstruction! One of my favorite tunes, but you brought up to the surface the nuances and subtleties that are so essential to the entirety! Nicely done!
*Me before I found this channel:* "I'm a good guitarist!"
*Me after finding this channel:* "So apparently I don't know how to play guitar"
Yea me too...yikes
Once my kids have grown up I’ve every intention of finally revisiting the theory side. Wish I’d paid more attention during GCSE Music
The extra layers that true professional caliber guitarists add, whether that's through gear, picking and rhythm, knowledge of music theory, etc is truly astonishing
LOL I quit after watching, I realized I didn't make any progress after years.
I realized that after 12 years playing 😂
I love your love for the art...
...and your high-end capability and stratospheric desire to bring it to us, the cave-dwelling cloven-hoofed strummers!
Many, many thanks!
Wonderfully informative and funny; guitar lessons do not get any better than this.
I couldn't rep a single chord of this but I'm smiling through the whole thing... outstanding!!!
For all the recognition he did get, Dick Dale never got as much as he deserved. People tended to write him off a “Surf Guitar Only”, but there were few who could match his true skill and innovation. One of the greats. Thank you for this. I am not a guitar player, but to heare this analysis of this great piece was fascinating. 👍👍
Your rendition in this video was awesome! Really enjoy listening to it. I always thought I heard him accentuate beats 1, and of 2, and 4 though.
To say that this riff is iconic is to undersell it massively. It's so thematic, so ridiculously cool and will always bring a smile to my face every time I hear it. Having it broken down and explained to me just makes me admire it more.
Also I love having this in my bag now. Along with the money for nothing intro somehow your break down and pointing out the tough spots and the spots we all miss make it easier to learn.
Great video Paul. This stuff needs to be preserved and carried on for future generations.
hearing these scales and notes sound very common where i live, i live in the heart of Iraq and i'm impressed Dick Dale decided to give it a somewhat middle eastern vibe! reminds me of ancient Iraq somehow, i dig it.
Great job, I appreciate the effort you put in to be accurate, and to cover the history, including the critical importance of the song's cadence. I was already aware of the information covered, but I still enjoyed the video enough to watch it all the way through, like, and subscribe.
Really cool Paul, awesome as always.
Can we have a full Misirlou cover now, please?
As a composer of advertising music in the 90's , post Pulp Fiction where it was heavily featured, this track was the bane of my life. Every ad exec wanted that twangy vibe on their ads (I'm not really a guitarist). Finding anyone who could play a similar riff at that speed was nigh on impossible. You did a great job...it's a lot harder than it looks!
You didn't look very hard.
@Sausage Fingers LOL! Way to big note!
Any thrash metal guitarist worth their salt can play Misirlou no problem. 172 BPM is leisurely. We're usually up around 200. Best part: you can pay them in beer and weed.
Ha, as someone who was a fairly busy session guitarist in the 90's I remember this well - I don't think I'd ever been asked to do surf guitar before Pulp Fiction, then suddenly it was every other gig for radio or advertising. I'd never really paid much attention to the genre before that, bought a ton of old albums to educate myself on the vibe and ended up getting quite into it!
@Jake White Thanks!
That album from Dick Dale was one of the first records I ever purchased. It was good to learn of your appreciation of it.
What an awesome video. What I wouldn't give to be able to play that song like that. Sadly, I know I will never be able to have the patience or dedication to learn and play it, or guitar in general, especially at my age. All the info you mentioned about Dick is exactly how I've heard about it over the years. Regarding the actual song, I first heard it at the beginning of Pulp Fiction, which did a lot to bring Dick and surf music back into the spotlight.. I was hooked on surf music right then and there, and I didn't even know what it was, even though I had heard the occasional surf song since the 60's. I went on to buy everything I could from Dick, and many others as well, and got to see him live at least a half a dozen times over the years. He was always incredible, even at his advancing age. It's sad he finally passed away, but I will always have all the music and all the memories. Thanks for an awesome video!
what a great breakdown, loved it. In 1980, I joined a belly dance troupe in Stockton California and Misirlou was one of our dances. That's when I learned it was a Middle Eastern song and not just a West Coast California thing.
Was amazed some 20-years ago in SLO. His sound was so heavy, LOUD; not the retro 'surf music' we were expecting. Long ponytail, awesome stage-presence....
Greets and thanks mate, i’m a total noob on the el. guitar, managed to pull the “money for nothing” riff in a couple of days according to your presentation in an astonishing way… thank you for your energy that is inspiring!
The effort in this video and your others should not be understated. Thank you for the value of content you are putting out.
This was a cool dissection. Thanks for making videos like this to teach and celebrate the language of music!
Hey @PaulDavids
I would like to share with you that The Double Harmonic Major that you are talking about in this video is a Raaga in Indian Classical Music which is called Raag Bhairav.
Its a morning raag and a very powerful one.
I enjoyed watching your video mate.
Paul you are so talented and amazing. I love watching your videos. thank you so much for your videos. so informative, and entertaining. you are a great story teller. and your skills on the guitar are impeccable.
Thanks for the excellent insight into this iconic guitar solo! Great information and details! Cheers!
dude,i havent played guitar for 20 years and only just picked it up again,out of all the tutorials,yours are the best.thanks
Well analysed Paul - there were things in there which I hadn't noticed. Enjoyed your explanation.
400th like 🤣
Oh man some double bass drumming would fit right in.
Absolutely awesome. Epic riff, fantastic lesson.
Great analysis Paul! I always enjoy very much your videos. Cheers!
thanks for this breakdown! I've seen so many people play this and miss all the little stuff Dick Dale did to get that iconic Mediterranean/surf fusion sound.
Didn't expect that it would be so interesting and exciting! Thanks, you are amazing teacher
Geweldig Paul, Hier zat ik op te wachten, eindelijk de correcte uitleg van Miserlou van mijn grote held Dick Dale!
I saw Dick Dale live in london, it was an awesome concert. He did crazy stuff like playing the bass players bass with drumsticks while the bass player fretted the notes, a great showman 👍
I will appreciate this riff and song even more now!
Wow! I know nothing about music theory but I happened to get on this video about one of my all-time favs rock tracks. Amazing how you explain it, and obviously how you make it sound. I even went on with the clap while sitting on the... well, while sitting. Lol Thank you for this terrific time!
Thank you, you just helped me appreciate this piece of music just all over again.
Its well known here in Greece and the original has lyrics .Roubanis is credited as being the composer and even he didnt write it as he just nicked the copyright as everyone else forgot to!.Oud is like greek Louto (lute in english)Amazing song.
Your "aha!" chuckles after each new piece that you break down shows how much you love playing that particular piece and just playing guitar in general. I find that to be genuinely wholesome. Thank you!
You and Beato are masters at breaking down songs, great job with this iconic riff.
@Ryan Miller As soon as the word 'augmented' came out of Paul's mouth I instantly heard Pat's 'BEATO' in my head
Pat Finnerty is the best.
Yes. One of the greatest guitar songs ever. Absolutely legendary.
Great lesson.
Other amazing solos you might want to have a look at? It is not that well known, but in the Crash test dummies song I think I'll disappear now which is on the album God Shuffled His Feet the guitar player manages to compress the entire lyrics of the song into just two single notes of the solo. It is beyond amazing.
Eric Clapton and a whole slew of other guitarists have through history at one point or another of their careers strugled with the idea, that if you play with enough feeling and emotion you can compress an entire song or concert into just one note. CTD comes as close as I have ever heard anyone come with that solo. 😊
dude you're amazing.. Great narrative, awesome playing and sound. i had a really great time! keep up
Loved the rhythm details, eg those couple hammer-on/pull-offs - I’ve been playing this riff for 25 years and never teased out those nuances. Got to see him play several times and even hang out with him back stage for a half hour. To this day, his is the only concert I’ve experienced where my ears were still ringing on the 2nd day after the show.
Amazing as always! I am a big fan and i dont even play Guitar.... that's how good your videos are! Really appreciate your work!
This is one of the first songs i "taught" myself to show off with in high school after hearing it on Guitar Hero. Needless to say, I was playing it wrong the whole time. Great video.
It's one of the easiest to learn by skipping ornamentations. But easily one of the most impressive and impressionable songs
No one explains thing better than you, every time I watch one of your videos I need to pick up my guitar immediately. Thanks
Epic riff, epic demo. Best I've ever seen so far. Thank you!
Dick dales was a legend, his style will always be apart of my roots. I was fortunate enough to have him as a close friend to my dad, and he taught me true expression through music. Not only was he a talented guitar player, but his understanding of music translated beautifully to the piano. on my first guitar i have signed “to james, keep playing”- dick dale. The words have almost completely worn off, but the sentiment still holds.